Tweet
Canadian Working Capital Financing Alternatives
Information on working capital finance solutions in Canada . How can you measure your cash flow financing needs and why types of loans and facilities work to solve working capital challenges
Let's discuss your question, with a focus on ' solutions ‘! Before getting to our answer let’s all agree it’s important to understand the question and subject. Our terms of reference are simple today - operating liquidity - it's the other half of working capital, balanced also by your fixed assets as part of your total equity structure.
But enough finance and accounting lingo... as a business owner you well know that you have have lots of sales, assets, and still be struggling everyday to meet your current obligations of payables, salaries and wages, lease and loan payments, etc. I
If you weren’t struggling you've solved your working capital and cash flow challenges, but we're assuming you haven’t, that’s why you're here.
If you have access to bank credit ( many small and medium size firms either don't , or don't have enough ) you r banker defines positive working capital finance as the difference between your cash , receivables, and inventory subtracted from your payables and other short term obligations .
But can a firm or business have negative working capital... actually yes. If you are a retail oriented business, or have very short credit terms and turn inventory and sales quickly you actually are winning, not losing. You have negative working capital but have won the cash flow game... essentially you collect quicker than you owe, so to speak.
We encounter many clients that have retail or service oriented businesses but still have cash flow challenges, mostly around growth. A unique new working capital loan solution called the Merchant Cash Advance small business loan is a great way to solve that cash flow financing challenge - so check it out.
What are the solutions to the management though of positive working capital - its a bit of a misnomer because when you think about it the more positive working capital you have ( i.e. inventory and receivables are growing ) the more cash strapped you are
The more common solution clients consider is simply ' bank credit ' - i.e. traditional financing. If you want to know if you qualify for bank financing for operating lines of credit financing you should ensure your firm is profitable, is perceived as stable and growing .. and your balance sheet ratios should be in order . Thousands of firms cant meet those fairly simply tests. Whats the solution?
If your cash conversion cycle (the time it takes a dollar to flow through your company) is high you need a working capital facility that finances both your inventory and A/R. For large firms an asset based line of credit is a working capital operating loan that makes total sense. The majority of these types of facilities are non bank in nature, and offered by specialized finance firms that specialize in cash flow solutions. Oh, and by the way, a lot of those ' bank requirements' we spoke of don’t apply when you consider an asset based line of credit - Why... simply because the focus is on your assets - inventory, receivables, and in some cases your ability to borrow against fixed assets.
The main offerings of Canadian working capital financing are asset based lines of credit, inventory and A/R working capital facilities, as well as receivable financing, augmented in some cases by purchase order or inventory financing. These solutions typically are outside of bank financing, come with a higher cost, but provide thousands of Canadian firms with all the financing they need to grow sales and profits . If utilized properly you have the ability to significantly reduce the costs associated with these types of financing.
So whats our bottom line advice on the information you asked for on working capital and solutions available in the Canadian marketplace. Simply that you need to understand your firms unique operating and cash flow requirements, you have to be able to have some sort of measurement on whether you are winning or losing (the cash conversion cycle formula works best - check it out) and finally you need to be able to seek out and work with a trusted, experienced and credible Canadian business financing advisor to keep you falling off the slippery slope of working capital financial pressures.
South Sheridan Executive Centre
2910 South Sheridan Way
Suite 301
Oakville, Ontario
L6J 7J8
Office = 905 829 2653
Click here for 7 PARK AVENUE FINANCIAL
http://www.7parkavenuefinancial.com
Business financing for Canadian Firms , specializing in working capital, cash flow, asset based financing , Equipment Leasing , franchise finance and Cdn. Tax Credit Finance . Founded 2004 - Completed in excess of 100 Million $ of financing for Canadian corporations .
Stan has had a successful career with some of the world’s largest and most successful corporations.
Prior to founding 7 Park Avenue Financial in 2004 his employers over the last 25 years were, ASHLAND OIL, ( 1977-1980) DIGITAL EQUIPMENT CORPORATION, ( 1980-1990) ) CABLE & WIRELESS PLC,( 1991 -1993) ) AND HEWLETT PACKARD ( 1994-2004 ) He is an expert in Canadian Business Financing.
Stan has over 40 years of business and finance executive experience. He has been recognized as a credit/financial executive for three of the largest technology companies in the world; Hewlett-Packard, Digital Equipment and Cable & Wireless. Stan has had in depth, hands on experience in assessing and evaluating thousands of companies that are seeking financing and expansion. He has been instrumental in helping many companies progress through every phase of financing, mergers & acquisitions, sales and marketing and human resources. Stan has worked with startups and public corporations and has many times established the financial wherewithal of organizations before approving millions of dollars of financing facilities and instruments on behalf of his employers.
Stan Prokop
